PLAN 24: BOOK 1: RISING
by Operative12
Summary: Gaia has been defeated, but at a terrible cost, the seven are decimated and war has come between Greek and Roman demigods, the Greeks, desperate for any advantage have hired the infamous mercenary group The Armoured Brigade but the Brigade has its own agenda.( Some of the Seven have survived.) First story please review, multi-chapter. Flames accepted but not encouraged
1. Chapter 1

OPERATIVE 12

One shot, one bolt that is all you need to change the world, thought the crossbow man as the empire state building drew closer as they approached. All they had told him was that plan 24 was in effect. Of course he knew what plan 24 was but he didn't know how it would take place and where, when the commander was involved nothing was certain. All he had been told by the Commander was that phase 1 was in effect. Ever since the Armoured Brigade had joined this mythical war on the side of the Greeks, things had gotten ugly, really ugly. In a bid to try end the war the brigade had come up with plan 24 and well that was all he knew other than that it involved gas, guns and betrayals. He was one such betrayal, former commander of the 3rd cohort. His paintball mask made clouded his peripheral vision slightly, but he thought better to be blind than recognised he knew very well what the Romans did to traitors as he felt the scars on his back.

"20 seconds on target." The pilot called to him. The meeting had been setup to get the romans somewhere exposed, somewhere he couldn't miss, not to say he would as the best sniper in the brigade his training had whipped into a state of mind where he could kill anyone or anything from 5 miles away, pain was not a concern of his he hardly felt it and his days of empathy were far behind him.

As he raised the crossbow scope to his eye he flashed back to his briefing and how The Commander had given him the rest and said that capture was not an option.

"5 seconds on target."

He could make out figures now, but more importantly he could see her, her medals that marked her out as leader were clearly pinned to her chest. With no wind and the target just standing there in the open he knew that this was his best chance, his fingers tightened on the trigger, he felt the pressure on the bow release and….

Time slowed down the bolt arched toward the building. The praetor turned toward the bolt almost as if she sensed it coming then almost as if she had been punched, at this range amour could do nothing to save her, it punched through it like it was wet paper. He started the mental countdown, usually any shot to heart gave the victim 5 seconds to live. She looked uncomprehendingly at the chopper then down at the bolt in her chest, she began to stagger as her fellow Romans stood in shock and silence gripped the world. A medic moved forward but then, the second bolt hit. She had taken too long to die.

"Extraction is in 20 minutes." Said the pilot "WE need to-"lightning flashed across the sky. "Holy Mother of-"the chopper shuddered and began to fall as a second bolt electrified the aircraft.

"Mayday mayday, this is bird 2-3 going down." The pilot yelled into the radio as they spun out of control toward the Empire State building. The pilot turned to him as fire burst on the control panel, "Jump toward the building go now."

12 wasted no time in flinging himself out of the helicopter… just as it turned into a second sun behind. Thrown like a ragdoll onto the roof of the building, he rolled away just in time as the tail rotor smashed down next to him, all around Romans were knocked out against walls… the javelin whistled toward him and he barely raised his baseball bat in time to block it.

In front of him stood his replacement, the tall, blue eyed, dark haired kid who had taken his place as centurion of the 3rd cohort and betrayed him to the romans in the first place. 12 seethed with anger under his mask but the kid didn't seem to recognise him.

12 with the ferocity of a panther charged the one who had caused him so much pain, dodging the swing of his dagger he smashed him twice in the stomach with his bat and the kid staggered to the railing.

12 knew he had just mere seconds before the Romans shook off their shell shock, he needed away out and somehow he needed them not to kill him for a little while as he made his escape, somehow…

He knew what had to be done the kid was recovering quickly but he didn't even see 12's tackle take both of them over the railing. 12 saw javelins being readied for throwing and then the screamed order not to fire. Even if his jump gear was smashed he would still have the last laugh.

Moment of truth, he thought as he pulled the cord with one hand while gripping the roman with the other, then by magic, the hang glider appeared around him and its engine roared. The shrieks of the roman subsided and 12 released his grip on him, but the roman was good. He grabbed onto the edge of the glider and launched a kick at 12. 12 leaned back and let the kick miss, he then swung a punch where the roman had last been, but he had disappeared. 12 swung himself and the glider to the right as the knife thrust punched through the ceiling. 12 looked up to try located the roman, but his eye caught on the propeller engine on the back , and part of his training came back to him, wound one man and it takes another out of the fight. 12 grabbing the bottom edge of the glider swung onto the top of the plane. The roman turned a fraction too late as 12's foot connected with his head. 12 then grabbing the roman by his amour straps and shoved the roman toward the fan. Terror and realisation, dawned in his foes eyes as his back connected with the fan. 12 heard amour crunch and saw the fan blades turn read.

12 pulled the roman away from the fan that left deep gashes in his back. 12 felt his pulse, good he wasn't dead. He also saw the eagles speeding after him and prayed his plan worked as he swooped near an apartment block roof, gliding a meter above the roof, 12 dropped the romans unconscious body, hoping that caring for the wounded was more important to the romans than killing an enemy.


	2. Chapter 2

GWEN

She had seen her leader die, held the lifeless body of one who had been more than a commander, she had been a close friend. The shock hadn't of realisation had begun to set in. She had seen the chopper, she should of know what was coming, the worst thing was that she knew who had fired the bolts, they all did. Only one person could be that skilled, it had to be Julius.

He had warned her, not out of compassion or anything vaguely human that had all gone out of his eyes when they had given him his scars, no he was warning her that she was powerless to stop it. His screams still haunted her, she had no choice Octavian would kill anyone who disobeyed any order. The arguer had taken control of the 5th and 2nd cohorts now his personal death squads. They had been roaming the North of the Country killing anything with a drop of godly blood that Octavian had deemed enemies of Rome. Gwen's sources said that 90% of half-bloods they came across they came across were "Greeks" they were killed on site and their bodies found in ditches or sewers with the words SQUR scratched onto their forehead, she heard that in order to cover up the murders Octavian's group now was going under the name "The Righteous." They had adopted modern fire arms, much to Reyna's protests, to make it look like they were a terror group following the pagan gods.

The mortal population had begun to notice things as the war dragged on, almost like the mist was weakening, but then again they weren't trying very hard to hide their battles and the Armoured brigade didn't seem to care if anyone noticed them, last month their gunships had levelled abandoned factory buildings in Detroit where a group of Romans had been hiding. 5 demigods had been killed. Octavian had been brutal in his response, 20 mercenary prisoners had been executed and hung. Octavian had then sent the mercenaries a video of this, Gwen knew it was a terrible idea the Commander of the brigade was never to be crossed, the rumours about him where everywhere…

No she thought now's not the time to think about the adversary that had ordered this attack, no, she had to do emergency damage control. The eagles had taken Reyna's body back to temple hill, where all praetors were buried but everyone was still in shock, this was Gwen's chance to take control of the 3rd cohort before Octavian got word and one of his lackeys came to add them to his death squad.

"People we lost a good leader today." She shouted startling everyone out of their shock.

"But can we let that stop us? Can we let the assassin get away? Did u see the lightning, Zeus wants us to bring this man to justice?"

People were on there feet now, anger and fire had kindled in their eyes.

"Reyna died for Rome. Believing that we would win! Can we let her die in vain?"

"NO" came the furious reply from the crowd of Demigods

"Well then it's settled, we will win! For Reyna! And for Rome!"

She had them now, they would all follow her. They all knew how dangerous Julius could be but how one demigod could survive 20 romans desperate for his blood, yes thought Gwen the afternoons hunt would be very interesting indeed, she wanted to try out her new knives.

The romans arrived in the lobby 5 minutes later but hardly noticed the man in the navy suit and Police sunglasses on his cell phone as soon as the last demigod had left agent James Carter dialled the number onto his phone.

"Access code Lightning 5-2 get me a secure line to David Markus." He whispered into the phone. He waited patiently as the CIA's operating system connected him to Langley.

"Carter what do you have for me." His boss asked as soon as the line connected

"19 foot mobiles sir all armoured to teeth with shiny bit of gold, I really think that they are bad news sir." He said sarcastically.

"Carter do I have to remind you that those people are responsible for nearly 3 dozen murders and 5 bombings."

From behind the plot plant she was hiding Gwen frowned, Octavian's reports never said anything about bombings. Who was this man she thought and how could he see them, the other 4 mortals in the lobby hadn't even second glanced them. Gwen didn't know who this man was but he had given off a weird vibe, like a prequel to series that you never knew existed.

"Don't worry sir." He said, while revealing a gun strapped around his waist. " I know how to look after myself. I also have managed to take a prisoner."

Gwen was shocked, who had been captured all of them had made it out of the building… then quick as a flash a gun was pointed at her face. A mortal saw it and screamed. Carter took out his badge and flashed it at her.

"James Carter C.I.A, you're under arrest for committing acts of terror against the United States." He took off his sunglasses and looked at her with storm grey eyes "And then you're going to tell me where my son is, and after that, well I doubt Markus will treat you kindly, you killed his daughter you know, and he is not the forgiving type." It took a moment before the realisation dawned on her face.

"Yes." Carter said," I am Julius's farther."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for the feed back, working on a prequel of the commander at the moment, called Winds of Sorrow. This chapter is split into two parts, please don't hate me for what I did to the seven

THE COMMANDER

He parked his car at the end of the cul-de-sac in Brooklyn. He could see the bulge of the gun in his pants as he pulled the black hood over his head.

"Stay in the car" he said to his guard. As he exited the car he walked through the over grown garden and wall of peeling paint to the front door. He knocked twice on the door. After 15 seconds a man with a vacant look in his eyes came to door.

"Yes sir, can I help you. If you want to sell me something I'm-"

"Tell the kid he's got 30 seconds to come down here before my predator strike levels the house." The Commander cut him off

The vacant man disappeared into mist and Doctor Howard Claymore stood before him shotgun in hand and levelled at the Commander. This didn't even phase the commander of the Armoured Brigade who faced much worse than a dead man with a gun.

"Who are you?" Claymore said with acid in his tone.

"20 seconds doctor, I doubt Hecate would bring you back a second time."

"Call of the drone or I will blow your head off."

"Feel free to try doctor I have business in the underworld and as for why I am here, I'm here to offer you a deal, it involves some certain siblings of Alabaster"

In a flash the kid in his bullet proof vest appeared.

"My siblings, what do you mean where-." Said Alabaster Torrington stammered, sounding unsure but the Commander could see a spark of hope in his eyes.

"All will be explained when we get there."

"Get where." Asked Torrington

"Why the Underworld of course, I did mention that I had business there doctor, didn't I, all I need from you is to find me the entrance."

"You mean Los- Angeles, I assume" Claymore said carefully.

"No doctor, nor do I mean the gates of Orpheus. I know all about your research doctor, I know you have found it, we need you to take us to the Gates of the Styx and I suggest we hurry because by my calculations New York won't be hospitable for any of us for much longer."

"What do you mean?" Asked Torrington warily.

"Let's just say, that we don't want to be within 70km radius when it happens." The Commander said glancing at the Manhattan skyline in the distance.

ANNABETH

8 months. It had been 8 months since the Argo II had gone into Tartarus to stop Gaia where she was strongest in the heart of the World, she remembered Piper getting ripped in half by the giant shadowy incarnation of the Earth goddess. She remembered how their weapon had failed, how it had been like a mosquito bite to the mother of titans, their big hope in defeating her shattered, the statue she had worked so hard to rescue had simply smashed.

They had one hope left, the engine of the Argo II might be enough to stop Gaia, but it would require 2 of them to stay behind to detonate it. With Piper dead, Jason dying of a bleed out and broken heart and Frank having sacrificed himself by using his life force to send Hazel back to the Over world a second before Gaia hand had nearly crushed her. All that left was Percy, Annabeth, Leo and Nico with Coach Hedge having stayed at the Entrance to the pit in order to keep their exit open.

Percy had looked at her with those Green eyes she would remember forever and said that he and Leo would detonate the engine. She had screamed and fought Nico and his ghosts to get to Percy as Gaia ripped off the mainmast of the ship and smashed what was left of the quarter deck to pieces with it.

"We never did have a chance to say goodbye last time, when Hera stole my memory." He had said sadly as he prepared to go below deck and make the ultimate sacrifice.

"No." she had sobbed quietly as Nico prepared the final escape pod for launch.

"Goodbye Annabeth." He said as he disappeared into the lower decks of the ship.

Leo was screaming and throwing out arcs of white hot flame as the shadow took its time advancing on the crippled ship and Nico called down waves of spirits to slow it down but she just stood sobbing in shock, all the fight gone out of her. She remembered the deck growing hot and being shoved into the escape pod, Nico was crying to as he hit the eject button and the pod soared away from the burning hunk of Bronze that had once been a ship.

As they sped away from the ship at top speed, she watched the shadow smashed the ship in half and then… a blast that lit up the world, even in the eternal darkness and then a feeling, the faintest smell of the sea.

After days of blur, misery and sobbing they arrived at the entrance point, starved and without the will to live they had found something they had never expected. Three UH-60 black hawk helicopters had formed a triangle around a central camp where, men in camo fatigues and armed to the teeth were prowling around and in the centre of the camp a two storey high flag pole with the words Armoured Brigade written on it. They had flown them out of the pit where all her hopes had died along with Percy Jackson, they had flown her to the coast France and Nico back to America she couldn't have gone back there, not where he had lived not now, not ever. She still didn't know why they had been there in the first place or why they had helped her or given her shelter and food, it didn't matter to her, not anymore she spent the days looking out over the sea, hoping and praying that maybe it was a dream maybe they were married and living happily and safe but no those were just dreams, nothing more. The food replenished itself in her small cottage every day so she never went hungry but she hardly ate, life didn't matter to her anymore.

She sitting on her bench at the beach one day as she did every other day, when a man sat down next to her. She didn't even turn her head to look away from the sea.

"Annabeth Chase I suggest you look at your phone." The man said. When she made no move to do so. The man spoke again.

"In tartarus the rules are different, life and death aren't necessarily black and white … and well check your phone or live out the rest of your life the way you're living it now, and die forgotten, lonely and abandoned."

She didn't want to, she didn't want to give herself false hope again she didn't want to hurt herself any more than she already had but she was the child of Athena, she craved knowledge. Her curiosity overcame her and she checked the phone that she hadn't turned on in months there was only one message.

PLAN 24 HAS BEGUN

She knew what it meant she almost yelled she got so excited and for the first time in months a glimmer of hope appeared in Annabeth's grey eyes, she tried to keep it down, but she couldn't and a ghost of smile appeared on her face.

"Yes." The man said "Phase 1 is nearly complete."


	4. Chapter 5

OPERATIVE 12

It was strange to die 12 thought as his vision went red and he started the countdown as his final seconds on Earth ticked away. They had found him, to be so close… yet so far. He had slipped easily out of the city and into the Jersey woods but they had closed in, stupid he thought, he had never thought his enemy would move so fast. He remembered what his dad had taught him, never underestimate your enemy, but he had and know he was paying for it with his life. He had walked right into their ambush.

Five seconds till body shut down, he had seen this shot before, made it a few hours ago, he knew he was dead

The strange thing was that he felt no pain as he staggered away from the clearing and towards the treeline where he could see the Romans. It looked like they were laughing at him, the great assassin being caught so easily. It didn't matter he thought he would have the last move, he always had, always would. Four seconds.

His life began flashing before his eyes, life in camp Jupiter, the training, hardships but acceptance, but most of all he saw the life he could of have with Gwen but those feelings had died with the old him in a dark room in New Rome, a room filled with blood, his blood, then he saw the Commander in front of him, the immense presence and power of the man whose face was hidden telling him the truth about why he was in Camp Jupiter and why he was alive, he remembered the months of being a turn cloak, passing information passing plans and vital information to the Brigade and then Reyna and her troops storming into his barracks in the dead of night, being hauled to his feet and blind folded, the sounds of knives being sharpened and then the pain like a million suns bursting inside him as they had scratched the words into his back, the words he would remember forever.

Three seconds.

He wondered what dying felt like, was there really a light at the end of the tunnel, or just another hell for him to fall into, like that room in New Rome.

He was three steps from the treeline now, the romans letting him advance waiting for their chance to cut the dirty traitor down but if he had the chance, and he would do it all over again, the same choices he didn't regret anything he had done.

Two seconds. As the edges of his vision began to blur and distort as he glimpsed the chopper approaching from the West where the sun was setting in a brilliant ball of gold, he took in the sight, taking in probably the last beautiful thing he would ever see. It had to be now. He began to fumble with the cord for his vest. To late the Romans saw what was happening, he saw them begin to run… but it was too late as he pulled the cord and the world exploded into white.

… barks, growls were the first things he heard as he awoke looking at a granite sky. A pair of German shepherds stood over him licking his form. Behind them ran an old friend, the pilot from the helicopter at the beginning of the mission. The dogs started licking his face and he affectionately stroked them.

"I thought you were dead." 12 stammered his mouth dry

"Still am." The pilot replied in that gruff voice of his, "Hate to break it, but so are you come on the Commander wants to see you." He gave 12 a hand and he took it getting a little unsteadily to his feet. Down river of a river, he guessed was the Styx purple lightning flashed and … was that a helicopter flying toward the same place they were walking to. After what seemed like hours they arrived at a site where attack boats rested at the water's edge and choppers were landing and taking off as men loaded their weapons and there in the middle of the camp he stood side arm in hand, the Commander was wearing a hoodie as usual, but his mask could just be seen at the edge of the shadows on his face at his feet stood a chained African man in a badly ripped Italian suit.

"12." He called in an almost excited tone, "Welcome to phase 2." As he pulled the trigger of the gun levelled at Charon the ferryman's head,

"It's gonna be fun." As the body of the spirit hit the ground with a thump.


	5. Chapter 6

DR. CLAYMORE

Claymore didn't know if he should be exulted or turn tail and run. On one hand this wasn't right, it was unnatural, no mortal had ever returned from the dead, but on the other hand he was sick of being half a man, a semi-transparent ghost of himself. The gods would never allow anyone to break the rules of death but the Commander had filled him in on Plan 24, or what he thought Claymore needed to know, and from what Claymore had gleaned from his short time with the man Claymore knew that he didn't play by any rules he wold do whatever he needed to, to achieve his objective. All the commander had asked of him in return for bringing him back to life was that he showed him the gates of the Styx.

The armies of the Underworld had gathered on the far bank of the Styx and from what Claymore guessed numbered well past 5000 warriors from all ages of history. The Commander seemed unfazed by this which either meant he was very stupid or very brave but Claymore doubted he was really either, he knew that the man did have a plan.

Something that still troubled Claymore was why he had needed to open the gates of the Styx to him, he had said that it was to secretly move his troops into the Underworld but Claymore knew that he needed it for some darker motive. He hadn't purposely found the Gates of the Styx, he was doing research on how to enter the Egyptian afterlife when he came across a passage telling him that anyone could enter the land of the dead as long as they sailed a boat upriver at sunset. Claymore was fascinated by this idea and the next day, using one of Alabasters mist form cards, had summoned himself a boat and at sunset rowed up the Hudson River as the sun set in the west, purely by luck Claymore had hit where the East and Hudson rivers met as the son touched the ground in the distance. A gate had appeared just below the surface of the water with an Onyx button set in the middle of the two doors. Inscription around the button said, when translated "Only darkness flows beyond." Claymore had immediately returned to the cul-de-sac and grabbed one of his history books and flipped through frantically until he came to a passage that calling the River of the Smashed hopes a river of the dark. He quickly pieced it together, he had swam in it during his brief time in the Underworld and it had to be the Styx. Suddenly two MI-17's flew over his head kicking up dust and heading towards the far bank and those weren't bronze missiles they were carrying, this could only be one thing.

Claymore sprinted as fast as his ghostly legs could carry him into the Commanders tent. The man was sitting at his desk on a laptop.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Claymore shouted as he stormed over to him, "Attacking any immortal creature with mortal weapons means that you are declaring war on all the gods of Olympus, the bronze bullet you used on Charon was the only reason why this whole operation hasn't gone poof your lucky that it dissolved his essence otherwise Hades wouldn't have waited at all to attack. Those helicopters are loaded with_ mortal_ weapons. Do you mean to drive the Olympians to war?"

Without turning away from his computer," Why Doctor that is exactly what I want to do." The man said ominously as the first missile in the new war exploded on the opposite bank.


	6. Chapter 7

LEO VALDEZ

He wasn't a son of Hephaestus, not anymore, not since the explosion had taken his right arm clean off everything he built hurt the people he cared about. His immunity to fire had saved him from being flash fried but the shrapnel had torn through him like bullets and being the great idiot he was, he lifted his right arm to his face to protect himself, and it had until the last tendon failed and the hunk of meat that used to be his arm had hit the deck of his ruined dream with a thud. That day Leo had watched Gaia's servants burn Calypso alive, his best friend break down and start crying over a pair of legs that used to belong to Piper and Zhang disappear in a puff of smoke, he didn't even want to think about the hunks of meat that were his friends still in the depths of the Argo II.

After that the war with the Romans had gone sour, fast. Their secretive, cold war had gone hot, Leo remembered the reports he'd seen of Kirksville over 5000 people had to be evacuated due to a "sewer gas explosion" that was actually a Roman truck loaded with Greek fire bombs that had been detonated in an attempt to dislodge the Greek's hold on the town and, they had. The Greek forces evacuated on October 19th and the Romans were now poised to launch an assault into the heart of the East that was until the Brigade counter attacked, at 4am October 20th an AC- 130 gunship had moved into position above Kirksville at 6am that day Kirksville was permanently wiped off the maps. 7 Greek soldiers had been killed, before and during the firebombing, final casualties for the Romans were 17 dead and 9 wounded, only 8 Romans were still standing by the end of October 20th.

Leo was no stranger to war and death and despite everyone else's comments that the Brigades methods were excessive, Leo knew that this was only just a taste of what the mercenary group could unleash.

The rec room of the Big House had gone quiet after the stats of dead and missing demigods. Since the start of the war three months ago 11 missing and 19 K.I.A's.

Then the topic that everyone had on their minds was spoken.

"A large force of Romans is entrenched in New York and we are sitting around discussing stats." Travis Stoll said angrily, his eyes were red from crying, his brother had been among those killed in Kirksville. "We need to go in there and kill them now."

"No, we need to plan our attack carefully." Malcom, head councillor of Athena, advised. Malcom had been in charge since Annabeth had gone missing, her lose still weighed on the camp, no one knew where she was or if she was even still alive. "We can get the Brigade to- "Malcom started.

"No!" Clarisse screamed in a shrill voice, "I don't want those punks within 20 miles of me, ever again." During the opening battle of the war the Brigade had used the Ares cabin as shock troops, 11 of those deaths had belonged to Ares.

"Well anyone else got any ideas?" Malcom said defeated.

Suddenly Leo fell to the floor, she was smiling at him with that perfect smile of hers and he had smiled back. He hadn't seen the creature nor had she, suddenly she was tied to a stake screaming his name as the flames licked her feet, he had seen her hand reach out to him, before the screen went blank and the Iris message shattered. Leo screamed as if he had been hit as his mind flashed through a dozen images of places or events he hadn't been in. He saw and arrow piercing Connor Stoll's head, Reyna dying, sirens ringing in Olympus as they readied for war and the last, a hooded, masked figure walking through a wasteland and then an explosion of white. 

When he awakened he was if the infirmary with half of the head councillors of camp standing over him.

"What I miss?" He muttered weakly, trying for a smile.

"Leo, you were writhing on the floor, screaming. You've been out for 2 hours." Said a concerned Malcom

The idea hit him like a freight train. "That's what it meant." He said softly in disbelief.

"That's what it meant." He said again louder. The other councillors were looking at him with confusion.

"Umm Leo, what exactly do we do." Malcom asked nervously.

"The reactor, from the Argo II, we have to get to it before they do." Leo said throwing off his covers and beginning for the door.

"Leo, wait! Who's going to use it for what" Malcom shouted.

Without turning back Leo shouted, "The Brigade is going to use it to on New York. Follow me now!" as he began running toward Bunker 9.


End file.
